Obama to Order Gitmo Closure

Attempting to temper the anti-US sentiment across the Muslim world, before embarking on an all-out offensive against terror perpetrators in and, perhaps, around Afghanistan, President Barack Obama is expected to sign an executive order to close the Guantanamo Bay prison within a year.

A draft order circulated on Wednesday also called for halting military trials in the prison, where the US has held terror suspects for years without trial.

Separate orders are expected to ban abusive interrogations and review the detention of terror suspects.

Obama was sworn in for a second time late on Wednesday, because one word had been out of order when the oath was first administered.

The draft executive order on the Guantanamo Bay in Cuba was circulated by the Obama administration on Wednesday.

"The detention facilities at Guantanamo for individuals covered by this order shall be closed as soon as practicable, and no later than one year from the date of this order," the draft read, according to Reuters.

It says anyone still in detention when the prison is shut "shall be returned to their home country, released, transferred to a third country or transferred to another United States detention facility".

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a White House official said the order would be signed on Thursday, reported the BBC website.

Obama has repeatedly promised to close the Guantanamo Bay, where some 250 inmates accused of having links to terrorism remain and 21 cases are pending.

On Wednesday, judges suspended several of the military trials of terror suspects at Guantanamo, at Obama's request.

At least one trial involved several men accused in the 11 September attacks in the US.

Correspondents in Guantanamo say, the legal process has been widely criticised because the US military acts as jailer, judge and jury.

However, they say, closing Guantanamo will not be easy and raise questions on where those charged will be tried and where those freed would be moved.

On Thursday, Obama is also expected to issue a separate order banning sub-human techniques such as waterboarding - a form of simulating drowning used by the CIA during interrogations.

The president is also expected to order a review of America's detention policies, a White House official said.

Pained PM Undergoes Angiography

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Wednesday underwent an angiography as part of a series of heart-related tests at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, where sources say some blockages were discovered in his heart, and doctors are contemplating future course of action, they said.

The 76-year-old Singh had visited AIIMS on Tuesday for an "overall medical checkup," an official statement had said. After undergoing various cardiac tests, the Prime Minister returned to his residence.

Singh had cancelled his visit to Kolkata, scheduled for Wednesday, where he was to attend the Asiatic Society's post-bicentennial silver jubilee celebrations and inaugurate the 150th foundation day of St Xavier's College.

Singh, who had earlier undergone a bypass surgery, had complained of chest pain after which a decision to carry out the tests was taken.

Medics say there was no cause for worry, and that VVIP operation theater was kep ready as a precautionary measure.

The PM was attended by a special team of doctors from various disciplines, who were briefed by the Special Protection Group responsible for guarding the Prime Minister, on various security precautions relating to his security.

Economic Crisis not Melting India: Rahul

Plummeting real estate indexes across the country and tightfisted lending environments notwithstanding, young parliamentarian and AICC general secretary, Rahul Gandhi says global economic recession is not affecting India much and the country is racing to brace economic globalization.

"Economic meltdown had an impact in certain areas but India's long term success would not be affected," he said

Gandhi, scion of India’s most prominent political family, made the remarks in Jaipur, at an interactive session organised jointly by Massachusetts Institute of Techonlogy (MIT), USA, and Rajasthan Police.

The 38 year old, looking into the future, said: "Economic meltdown had an impact in certain areas but India's long term success would not be affected."

He termed the country’s fundamental values and highly trained human resources as assets for development and prosperity.

"We have vast reservoir of talent and massive capacity to transform them into development and progress further," he added.

Heralded as the future Prime Minister by many in the country, including senior leaders in his party, Rahul said that as compared to 60 years ago, India has transformed itself and in next 10-20 years, 50 to 60 per cent of rural areas would be urbanised.

Key B’lore Blast Accused Held

Accused of fixing timer devices on bombs that rang through Banagalore and Gujarat last year Abdul Sattar, from Mallapuram, Kerala, was produced before the chief metropolitan magistrate in Hyderabad on Wednesday, before being handed over to Karnataka police on a prisoner transit warrant.

Sattar is allegedly a close associate of Riyaz Bhatkal and was heading the Southern brigade of the Indian Mujahiddin.

According to sources, Sattar was picked up from his house in Kishanbagh in the old city a few days ago by the State Counter Intelligence Cell after a tip-off.

Sleuths from four states -- AP, Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra -- grilled him before declaring his arrest.

Bangalore police will now interrogate Sattar, before handing him over to Surat police. Sattar has told interrogators that as radio mechanic he learned how to make an effective circuit that could be used in bombs.

The arrest is likely to lead inputs on the whereabouts of IM kingpin Riyaz Bhatkal.

The breakthrough of Sattar's whereabouts came when Kerala police arrested Ghouse last year.

In his statement, Ghouse had told investigators about Sattar's expertise in fixing timers.

Sattar is wanted by Karnataka, Gujarat, Delhi, Maharashtra and Kerala police.

Crash Kills Fighter Pilot in K’taka

An IAF fighter pilot - Wg Cdr R S Dhaliwal – at the controls of the indigenous Kiran Mk II (HPT-16) trainer aircraft of the acclaimed Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team (SKAT) was killed on Wednesday morning when a routine sortie ended in a fatal crash at around 0845 hours at Bidar, Karnataka, said the Indian Air Force.

The aircraft, crashed minutes after it took off from Bidar, hitting a vacant plot near the air force station, no loss of civilian life or property was reported in the incident.

The Air Headquarters ordered a court of inquiry into the mishap.

This is the second fatal air mishap involving the Surya Kiran pilots in the last three years, the previous one reported in March 2006 at the same air base in which two pilots were killed.

'Surya Kiran,' the IAF's aerobatics team, is only one of the four military squads performing nine-aircraft formation flying in the world and traces its history to the IAF's Hunter aircraft formation flying squad, the 'Thunderbolts' of 1982.

The team currently has 13 fighter pilots from the Mirage-2000, Jaguar, MiG-23 and MiG-27 streams.

The IAF counts SKAT among its fighter squadrons (No. 52 Squadron), as the sub-sonic Kiran trainers possess capacity to bomb enemy targets.

SKAT members should necessarily be Qualified Flying Instructor with over 2,000 hours of flying experience, including 1,000 hours on Kiran Mk II aircraft.

An experienced pilot, Dhaliwal had recently joined the aerobatics team. His body was flown to his native place in Patiala for last rites.

Antony Admits Chinks in Coastal Armour

With the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes blowing the covers off chinks in the country’s coastal armour, the government has decided to modernise the coast guard as quickly as possible and augment its manpower, Defence Minister AK Antony said on Wednesday in Goa, while commissioning an advanced offshore patrol vessel.

Antony, who also laid the foundation stone for the modernisation of Goa Shipyard Limited, said the government has decided to modernise the armed forces and coast guard as quickly as possible because India is surrounded by "so many elements inimical to our country".

Calling for the forces to remain on a perpetual alert, Antony said: "Our armed forces must be in the state of preparedness always."

"Indian cannot have another tragedy in the sea ways. In the past, we have neglected the sea ways but now we have learnt that we cannot ignore them," he said while terming the Mumbai terror strikes a pointer towards the need to up coastal patrol capabilities.

Antony conceded that available resources were not sufficient to police the vast coastline. "We know what we have is not enough. This is less than 30 per cent of capability we require," he said.